


Deja Vu

by Julia_Fractal



Series: Daredevil & Defenders Fics [9]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Complicated Relationships, Defenders S1E6 Ashes Ashes, Domestic Fluff, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Long-Distance Relationship, Pegging, Post-Defenders, Reunions, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 18:34:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15467472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Julia_Fractal/pseuds/Julia_Fractal
Summary: *~*~*“Matthew,” she whispered.  The name was strangely familiar on her tongue.  As though her mouth had shaped those syllables countless times before.  In joy, in anger, in the heat of passion…  Whether it was the name of a saint or merely a man, to her heart it sounded like a prayer, a nameless yearning for something more.*A bittersweet vision of the future built around Elektra's dream from the Defenders.*~*~*





	Deja Vu

**Author's Note:**

> Set six months after the end of the Defenders, where Elektra is the Hand's new leader but also secretly working to bring them down from within. Slight AU in that Matt returned to his normal life immediately after recovering from Midland Circle, instead of remaining MIA as he has been in season 2 of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage.

***~*~***

_‘Jetlag is always a bitch,'_ Elektra thinks as she climbs the final flight of stairs to Matthew’s apartment. Her eyes are so bleary that it takes two tries to fit her key into the lock. Once inside, she kicks off her shoes and abandons her suitcase by the door. Even the few steps it would take to stumble into the bedroom seem like too much of an effort. Instead, she collapses onto the couch fully dressed, and only manages to pull the blanket halfway up her body before falling sound asleep.

Thankfully she’s in a much better mood when she wakes. Even without opening her eyes, she can feel late afternoon sunlight streaming in through the windows, and Matthew’s weight against the back of the couch as he gazes down at her.  
  
“I know you’re awake,” he tells her. Elektra opens her eyes to see the mischievous glint in his eyes and the beginnings of a smile tugging at his lips.  
  
“Yes, I am," she admits, "And you're a very welcome sight for sore eyes.” She pushes herself upright with a faint groan and asks, "What time is it?"  
  
“Ten to six, you’ve been sleeping for hours,” Matthew answers. “Who knew jetlag would be your kryptonite?”  
  
“Hey, I’ve been bouncing between five different time zones all month. Honestly, I’d take fighting my own ninja army over tackling 13-hour time differences any day.”  
  
Matthew hands her a mug and Elektra sips from it gratefully. Perfectly steeped green tea, flavoured with a hint of mint and honey. “Thank you, this is exactly what I needed. How did you know?”  
  
“Because I know you,” Matthew tells her with a boyish grin. “How was your flight from Kyoto?”  
  
“As interminable as trans-Atlantic flights always are. I reviewed all the major Hand operations scheduled for the next six months, along with counter-strategies for foiling or stalling them, and still had time to watch two and a half Godzilla movies. All the details are on the USB drive on your desk.”  
  
“Anything I can help with?”  
  
“SHIELD should be able to stop most of the big stuff with the information I just gave them. There’s a few quasi-legal real estate deals that should be blocked, but that’s more of a job for lawyer Matt Murdock than Daredevil.” Elektra flashes a savage smile, “The Hand has finally learned their lesson about staying out of New York.”  
  
"Thanks to you," Matthew adds.  
  
"And you and your Defender friends," Elektra finishes. “Fortunately I’m doing an excellent job of expanding the Hand's legitimate business side and making them even richer, otherwise the underlings would probably have revolted by now."  
  
“Yes, who knew your Harvard MBA would be so useful for running a secret global cult,” Matthew says drily.  
  
Elektra smiles as Matthew shifts closer, "I think that's enough shop talk for now." She can’t help leaning towards him, until their foreheads are touching and their lips are only inches apart.  
  
“I like it here,” she tells him softly.  
  
“Back in New York?”  
  
“No, back with you.” She tilts her chin up as Matthew angles down to meet her. Just before they kiss, an unexpected shiver runs up her spine, and Elektra frowns as she tries to pinpoint its source.  
  
“What’s wrong?” Matthew asks, forehead creasing with concern.  
  
“Nothing’s wrong _per se_. I just feel like I’ve lived this exact moment before… or maybe I only dreamed it.”  
  
“So what happens next?”  
  
“Don’t know. I must have woken up before the good part,” Elektra tells him lightly. Only she _does_ remember what came next, or rather what came before. A past life filled with blood and pain, when she was nothing but a soulless weapon called the Black Sky. She had traced the scars where a sai once plunged into her heart, she had dealt death to countless others without mercy or thought. Worst of all, she had trapped Matthew with her deep beneath Midland Circle, because it seemed easier to die with him by her side than keep living as mortal enemies. After they’d both run out of words and blows, there was nothing left to do but share one last kiss as sixty stories of steel and concrete descended with a thundering roar… Elektra shakes her head. All of that was in the past, and some things should stay dead and buried.  
  
“The past is the past,” Elektra tells him with a shrug. “What really matters is the here and now.” She cups the back of Matthew’s head and pulls him in for a long, deep kiss. Matthew returns every ounce of her passion, every bit of yearning bottled up from their long, lonely weeks apart.  
  
“Welcome back, sweetheart,” he says when they break apart, smiling and breathless.

  
  
**~*~*~**

For dinner, Matthew lays out all the ingredients for spaghetti Bolognese, and they busy themselves with prep work. The two of them circle around each other easily in the cramped kitchen, trading light touches and kisses each times their paths cross. Matthew regales her with stories from the past month: his latest run-in with Fisk and a ridiculous new henchman called Bullseye; Luke and Claire’s budding romance; plus the fact that Jessica Jones has just thrown a second client through her own office door.  
  
Elektra can feel the long-held tension easing out of her shoulders as they talk and laugh. With each breath she deliberately discards her mental armour piece by piece. Temporarily letting go of the brutally tight control over her face and body that she must exercise as a matter of survival. Being a double agent within the Hand while simultaneously leading them is the hardest thing she's ever done. Even with all of its former leaders dead, the Hand was still full of ambitious back-stabbers and suspicious zealots, along with a few fundamentally good but mis-guided souls like Colleen Wing had been. Fortunately, she has S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Maria Hill for logistical support and Matthew for moral guidance. More importantly, Matthew is her lifeline to a world outside of the Hand’s all-consuming machinations, a reminder of everything she's living and fighting for. Sometimes she’s afraid to admit in words just how desperately she needs this time away, one long weekend each month when she could just be a woman, together with the man she loves.  
  
During previous meet-ups, they'd flown to far-away and exotic locales, running away together like they'd once planned, if only for a few days at a time. She'll always treasure the image of Singapore's bright lights reflected in Matthew's eyes; or his astonished smile as his hand stroked the sun-baked back of a giant Galapagos tortoise. Yet there's something even more special about being able to step back into Matthew’s life each month. A sense of rightness and belonging that she hasn't felt since their college days. “I want this place to be yours too,” he'd told her when he gave her the key, and slowly Matthew’s apartment is turning from a safe harbour into a true home.  
  
Elektra eyes scan the living room, idly cataloging all the little changes since her last visit. The orchid on the windowsill has put out another bud, but it won’t burst into full bloom until after she leaves. Gently she traces the velvety petals with her finger, hoping the flower will still be here the next time she visits.  
  
"Come over and taste this sauce," Matthew calls out, bringing Elektra's thoughts back to the present.  
  
"Needs more oregano," she tells him as she hands back the stirring spoon. A dollop of tomato sauce falls onto Matthew's white shirt, and quickly spreads like a bloodstain.  
  
"Sorry, let me help you clean up."  
  
"Nah, I think it's a lost cause," Matthew says as he peels off the shirt and throws it in the hamper. Face to face with those luscious pecs, chopping more oregano suddenly seems a lot less urgent.  
  
“Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Murdock?” Elektra asks as she steps in close.  
  
“Is it working?”  
  
“Definitely.”  
  
That was the end of patience. Matthew's hands tangle in her hair as they kiss again, hungry and urgent and done with waiting. Her hands want to be everywhere at once, stroking his face, sliding down his chest, reaching behind to grab a double handful of that incredible ass. Matthew lifts her effortlessly and plunks her down on the kitchen counter, and it only takes a few moments of fumbling with belts and zippers before they can finally join together.  
  
"God, I've missed you!" Matthew whispers as her legs wrap around him, and Elektra sighs as she takes his cock in hand and guides him home.  
  
Matthew kisses her over and over as they move together, one hand cupping her face and the other rubbing quick circles over her clit. At this pace neither of them is going to last, but that’s okay since this is just the first of many courses to come. Elektra holds tight with everything she’s got, and tries not to think about how soon she’ll have to let go. Instead she focuses on the sensual slide of skin against skin; sweat running between her breasts and down his back; the sound of their moans momentarily drowning out the never-ending clamour of New York City.  
  
Elektra comes seconds before the pot boils over, splattering the stovetop with sauce and sending the pot lid clattering to the floor.  
  
“Should we take care of that?” she asks, half-laughing and half-gasping.  
  
“Hell no!” Matthew answers without missing a beat.  
  
They’re both laughing when Matthew comes inside her moments later. The two of them keep holding each other long after the climax, trading lingering kisses as spaghetti sauce slowly drips down the wall.  
  
Dinner consists of over-cooked pasta with half-burnt sauce. They hold hands while eating, and neither of them complain.

  
  
***~*~***

Later that night she takes Matthew apart slowly. Patiently working him open with her fingers and tongue until he’s gasping and writhing in the sheets.

"Shouldn't I be the one pampering you?" Matthew protests at the start.

"This is exactly what I want right now," she assures him. "You can return the favour tomorrow, but tonight just let me focus on giving you pleasure."

After reaching for her strap-on, she fucks him just as slowly and lovingly. Instead of begging to come, Matthew begs her to make it last, changing position every time he gets close, whispering “not yet” when she tries to speed up. Elektra greedily drinks in every sight and sound, reveling in each moan and curse she draws out of him. Eventually even Matt Murdock’s vaunted self control finally breaks, and he comes in a breathless rush with her name on his lips.  
  
Half an hour later she’s still wide awake and alert, staring at the alarm clock as the seconds tick up towards midnight.  
  
“Can’t sleep?” Matthew asks as she shifts in bed.  
  
“Sorry, my body’s still on Kyoto time, where it’s 1 pm tomorrow afternoon,” Elektra answers as she sits up. “I’ll move to the couch so you can get some rest.”  
  
“No, don’t go,” Matthew tugs her back down with a gentle hand on her wrist. “You’re flying out again in 42 hours, I don’t want to waste a second of our time together.”

“If you insist…”  
  
“Hey, isn’t today our six-month anniversary?” Matthew asks as the alarm clock emits 12 quiet little beeps.  
  
“I suppose. But if you only count the time we’ve actually been in the same place at the same time, it’s more like 23 days.”  
  
“Twenty-four now,” Matthew replies as he kisses her on the forehead.  
  
Elektra flicks on the bedside lamp and props herself up on an elbow. She dreads the words that are about to come out of her mouth, but she has to say them all the same. “Matthew… you know that you could have a much simpler love life with someone else. Like Karen, or Claire, or Foggy.”  
  
Matthew remains surprisingly relaxed. “First off, all three of them are in very happy relationships, and I wouldn’t want to be a home-wrecker. And more importantly, I am too.”  
  
“But is this really enough for you? Seeing each other three days a month, talking over secure phone lines and encrypted emails, having to keep everything secret even from your closest friends.” Elektra takes a deep breath and forces herself to press on, “If you need something more, with someone else, I will understand… We can still be allies even if we aren’t lovers.”  
  
Matthew turns toward Elektra and pulls her close, taking her hand and placing it over his own heart. “Maybe what we have will always be complicated and never easy, but you’re the only one I want to be with.” He pauses for a moment to gather his thoughts, then continues, “Look, these last six months have been hard, but they also feel like a miracle. To have you back from the dead, back from the Hand's clutches... It's a greater blessing than I could have hoped for."  
  
"But what about having someone to share your life with who isn't continents away? Someone who can be here every night and wake up with you every morning. Maybe work towards a herb garden on the roof, a shaggy dog, and 2.5 kids down the road…"  
  
"Yeah, I want all of that. And I want it with you."  
  
“That could be a very long wait,” Elektra replies. It would be years before she could begin to formulate an exit strategy from the Hand. Much as she loved him, precisely _because_ she loved him, it wasn’t fair to ask Matthew to wait for what might never be.  
  
"I know. But I can be patient if you can. After I lost you the first time, I made a vow to never stop being grateful for our time together, no matter how long or short it might be.” Matthew presses a soft kiss to her temple, and she can feel his lips curve into a smile just before he asks, “Unless you’re getting tired of me already?”  
  
“Never! All I want is to be with you, like this, every day of our lives.”  
  
“But you need to lead the Hand, and either transform them into a legitimate organization or destroy them from within. And I need to stay here to protect my city, and keep your secrets without blowing your cover.”  
  
“You know I would happily throw it all away for you --” she begins.  
  
“No, you wouldn’t,” Matthew says with utter certainty, “Not when you could be saving thousands of lives. Not anymore.”  
  
“You're right," Elektra admits grudgingly. "Damn it, Murdock, your moral compass _has_ rubbed off on me.”  
  
Matthew chuckles before going earnest and serious again. “I know the odds are still stacked against us, even though we’ve finally figured out how to be good to each other, how to make it work. But what we have is real, it’s love, it’s _way_ better than being mortal enemies...” Elektra’s startled into laughter, and Matthew joins her before continuing, "And I wouldn’t trade it for anything in this world.”  
  
There are tears prickling behind her eyes, and Elektra kisses Matthew fiercely and lovingly before they have a chance to fall. “I love you too, Matthew. More than life itself.”  
  
“Elektra?" Matthew says just as she’s about to drift off.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
“Maybe we could start that rooftop herb garden first thing tomorrow.”  
  
“First, we’re going to have coffee and breakfast, then morning sex, _then_ we'll see about herb selection. Get your priorities straight, Matthew,” She tells him in a mock-scolding tone. Matthew just chuckles and pulls her even closer.  
  
Both of them lead dangerous lives in a dangerous world, and know that there likely won't be a happily ever after. But for now it's better to live in hope instead of counting the odds, and savour each moment as they come.  
  
After all, given enough moments it’s possible to build an entire life together.  
  
Elektra pillows her head on Matthew’s chest, and lets the sound of his heartbeat finally lull her to sleep.

  
***~*~***  
  
**[Six Months Ago]**

  
The Black Sky sat up with a start, the blaring sirens outside abruptly dragging her back to the present.  
  
_What had she just seen?_  
  
It was just a moment in time, suspended halfway between dream and reality.  
  
Yet the Black Sky couldn’t shake how the dream had made her _feel_. She had been happy. She had been loved. For the first time since her resurrection, she had felt whole.

Behind her flickering eyelids, she’d lived a whole other life as a woman named Elektra. Someone with a past and a future, and a life that she was painstakingly shaping with her own free will.  
  
She shook her head and stood up, restlessly pacing around the room. Everything in this place was half-remembered, yet achingly familiar. As instantly recognizable as the feel of a sword in her hand or the scent of spilled blood in the air.  
  
_Who am I?_  
  
The first time she looked in a mirror, she saw a woman with haunted eyes and many scars.  
  
Alexandra had coaxed her to let go of the past. To immerse herself in her new role as the Hand’s greatest living weapon.  
  
There was a beautiful simplicity to her new life: Eat, sleep, fight. The brutal rigours of training carried the familiar rhythms of childhood _(Back then, hadn’t her teacher been a blind old man with a cane?)_ Once she’d regained and surpassed her former skills, she was free to unleash herself upon the Hand’s enemies. Hunting down the members of the Chaste one by one, and eliminating them with a slash of her blade. All of her simmering rage unleashed in a flurry of deadly violence, unburdened by whatever painful failures had led to her death.  
  
During the quiet hours in her room, the Black Sky wondered who she was angry at. Her enemies? Her new masters? Or perhaps death itself for robbing her of the half-remembered life she might have led.  
  
_Who do I want to be?_  
  
“Elektra,” the man had called her in the heat of battle, and the first cracks began to appear in her simple and ordered life.  
  
Without being told, she knew his name in return.  
  
“Matthew,” she whispered. The name was strangely familiar on her tongue. As though her mouth had shaped those syllables countless times before. In joy, in anger, in the heat of passion… Whether it was the name of a saint or merely a man, to her heart it sounded like a prayer, a nameless yearning for something more.  
  
_The Black Sky was destiny._  
  
But perhaps there was more than one destiny, more than one chosen path among all the branching possibilities life could offer.  
  
She wasn't quite ready to be Elektra Natchios again. A dead woman who’d left her with only tattered memories, and a jagged hole of a life cut short which she could no longer fit.

But neither did she have to be the Hand's mindless weapon.  
  
Among Matthew’s Daredevil gear she finds the address of the cemetery she was buried in, and leaves the apartment with newfound purpose.  
  
She will visit her own grave and lay the past to rest. She will return to Alexandra and the Hand and be everything they ask of her. She will listen, and learn, and bide her time until the perfect moment to strike.  
  
Because destiny was something that could be seized with her own two hands.  
  
And on the other side of the blackest sky was a waiting dawn.

  
***~*~***  
**{THE END}**

**Author's Note:**

> [Elektra's dream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rajGh8ov_SA) in the Defenders was always a bit of a brain-teaser for me. At first it feels like a flashback, but then you realize it couldn't possibly have happened during the course of Daredevil Season 2. This fic is my answer to that puzzle.
> 
> The detail about the orchid was inspired by [Significantowl's](https://archiveofourown.org/users/significantowl/pseuds/significantowl) lovely ficlet [A Dream in Daytime](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5265461/chapters/35532936).


End file.
